Water-resistant shoe



Oct. 1,1946. JENNINGS 2,408,650

WATER RE S I S TANT SHOE Filed March so, 1945 5 v v 7 62 la in enbqnnaoaaa li o ua Y I V '3 9 /G 4 INVENTOR.

GEORGE HOLLIS JZ'IVIV AG'S 4 Patented Oct. 1, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE WATER-RESISTANT SHOE George Hollis Jennings, Cincinnati, OhioApplication March 30, 1945, Serial No. 585,649

My invention relates to shoes having a type 01 welting which may beadditional to the regular welting, said type of welting being sometimesknown as calk welting.

I have in my U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,004,116, described a method ofshoe construction in which a calk welt is applied. I have illustrated mypresent invention as being formed in the same manner but in its essencethe precise mode of calk welting is not an essential.

It is the object of my invention to provide a calk welting whichcontains in the head portion thereof, a filling of oil absorbingmaterial such.

as a cord formed of cotton fiber or of any other suitable oil absorbingand retaining material. The bead, which is preferably perforated, isformed, according to my invention, by enclosing this cord in a foldedpiece of suitable leather and stitching, or otherwise securing, theresulting bead to form thereby a calk welt with a bead and a fin. Theleather on the upper side of the bead, at least is perforated tofacilitate oiling the bead, and to permit gradual exuding of thelubricant through the perforations. I have found that when oiled atfairly frequent intervals, the oil from the oil absorbent bead is soakedinto the leather of the shoe keeping it soft and water resistant, andthe oil containing calk welt is, of course, a very efiicient waterresistor at the line of connection of the regular welt with the insoleand upper.

In the drawing, I have shown an example of my invention and refer to theappended claims for setting forth the invention resident in the saidexample.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the toe portion of a shoe equipped accordingto my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the shoe along the lines2-2 in Figure 1, showing the mode of construction above referred to.

v Figure 3 is a section through the calk welt.

Figure 4 is a detail plan view of the calk welt. In the drawing, I isthe outer sole of the shoe,

2 the filling and 3 the insole. The regular welt 4 is stitched down tothe outer sole by stitches 5. The upper B is held by the stitched seam lto the insole lip 8. The same seam holds the calk welt in place, betweenthe regular welt and the upper. While the invention is specificallydescribed in a welt shoe, it should be understood that the calk welt maybe held in position in a cemented sole shoe or a shoe in which the soleis secured by nails and staples or in a McKay shoe.

As noted, the calk is formed of a flexible strip 9, preferably ofleather formed into a lengthwise fold I0, within which is an oilabsorbent cord or wicking II. The one portion of the leather at theresulting bead is perforated with holes I2.

3 Claims. (CI. 36-78) A line of stitching l3 holds the bead in shape. Inmaking up the shoe the calk welt is set in place between the upper andthe welt, and joined with the shoe insole by the seam, as already noted.The strip portion not part of the bead, forms the fin for attachingpurposes. The assembly of the shoe outer sole with the upper, the insoleand the welt follows usual practice.

The calk welt will surround the shoe together with the welt, and it isnot found necessary to attempt to use the calk welt about the heelproper of the shoe, which is not welted in regular construction.

In use an oil can may be used to oil the calk welt bead which projectsaround the shoe between the regular welt and the upper. The oil is drawnfrom the wicking or cord, into the leather of the shoe in a short timeoiling the entire upper, and attention to oiling from time to time willmaintain this condition.

For soldiers this invention is highly valuable as it not only greatlyassists in keeping the feet dry, but also keeps the upper of the shoesoft and pliable, and stops the inner sole from curling up, warping'ordisintegrating.

The sole I may be of the standard rubber like material used in militaryfootgear. The calk welt may be associated with the upper by any desiredmethod of attachment, to the sole. It is not necessary that aself-sustaining strip of wicking be used, as any filling which will holda bead, and will absorb oil and retain it, will serve my purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A calk welt for shoes formed of a strip folded around an oilabsorbent body to form a bead,

with the remainder of the strip serving as a fin for mounting in a shoe,and a series of holes formed in that portion of the strip whichsurrounds the oil absorbent body.

2. A calk'welt for shoes formed of a strip folded around an oilabsorbent body to form a head, with the remainder of the strip servingasa fin for mounting in a shoe, and a series of holes formed in thatportion of the strip which surrounds the oil absorbent body, said holesbeing formed in that portion of the head GEORGE HOLLIS JENNINGS.

